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Are you called to be an Ancient Observance Ordinariate Carmelite?

After expressions of interest regarding a foundation of traditional Ancient Observance Carmelites to the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (OLSC), those wishing to test such a vocation are invited to apply. At this stage the proposed foundation would be located in Perth, Australia.

The proposed foundation would celebrate the liturgy of the Personal Ordinariates Divine Worship which is around 90+% the same as the English translation of the Carmelite Rite itself, as both liturgies are closely related. The first general assembly of Carmelites outside of the Holy Land, and many of its first European monasteries, were in England. The monastic movement of this period, including the Carmelite Charism, helped to shape English Catholicism which is lived by the Ordinariates. The proposed foundation would be under the patronage of the great English Carmelite St. Simon Stock, who received the Brown Scapular from the Blessed Virgin Mary at Cambridge- the second biggest devotion in the Catholic Church after the Rosary. Although the foundation would have a Carmelite Charism, it would still also be in the spiritual tradition of the Ordinariates.

The cause of this appeal is based on a number of factors including several OLSC members expressing interest in Ancient Observance Carmelite vocations, with one testing a vocation through private vows, and the existence of a large and well established Ancient Observance Carmelite Confraternity in Perth, which also has one of the largest OLSC parishes. If enough serious applicants are found, then the Ordinary of OLSC will contact the Ancient Observance Carmelites for a formator towards the foundation.

The appeal is mainly aimed for those seeking to be Friars and Monks. As ordination counts as a sacrament of initiation into the Ordinariates those who are not members can apply to be Friars. If at least 3-5 serious applicants can be found, then a foundation can start to be discerned: and there is already one application.

At the current moment an Ordinariate Ancient Observance Carmelite foundation is a proposal, with this appeal being apart of the discernment process for the Ordinariate as much as those who expressed interest in such a vocation: so the call has been issued, we are just waiting to see who will respond.

St Simon Stock, Pray for the Ordinariates

For those interested in applying, you can send expressions of interest to:

projects(at)ordinariate.org.au

(The text of this article was first published in the September 2018 edition of the free Ordinariate Portal Magazine under the title “Ordinariate Carmelites?”)

6 thoughts on “Are you called to be an Ancient Observance Ordinariate Carmelite?”

From the main article: As ordination counts as a sacrament of initiation into the Ordinariates…

This statement simply is not accurate. Were it true, those of us who are diocesan “cradle Catholics” would qualify for ordination for the service of an ordinariate. We don’t.

What is true, though, is that baptized Christians coming to the Catholic Church from any Anglican or Protestant denomination, even as clergy, normally receive the sacraments of confirmation and (first) holy communion, which are sacraments of initiation, within the rite of reception. Nevertheless, reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church within the jurisdiction of an ordinariate is sufficient to qualify for membership in an ordinariate even for somebody who is validly ordained in another denomination that has valid sacraments, such as the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) or the Nordic Catholic Church (NCC).

Norm, several of the OLSC Seminarians are cradle Catholics: the regulations have been changed. If you are looking for precedence then there is Bishop Lopes who was a cradle Catholic, and being ordained a bishop for the CSP Ordinariate gave him membership.

I am not going to be overly scrupulous on quick comments- I had dealings with a Mr Lobes recently, probably the origin of the mistake. If you have concerns about how I affect the credibility of this blog, you should ask Mrs Gyapong about how many readers I bring to the blog. God Bless